Title : Quality of life and depressive symptoms in victims with traumatic brain injury
Abstract:
Introduction: The quality of life assessment is a growing trend in the health area, especially when treating patients with traumatic brain injury. This type of lesion reflects in every area of the victim’s life, including neuropsychological aspects. The literature suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk of depressive disorders and, therefore, the search for neuropsychological symptoms should be included in the quality of life assessment. Thus, the objective of this work was to assess TBI victims’ quality of life and that were submitted to neurosurgery, exposing depressive symptoms as identified in the assessment.
Method: A cross-sectional, exploratory and quantitative study designed at a highly complex hospital in Recife City, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The sample consisted of 116 TBI victims, the inclusion criteria were: patients ≥ 18 years, diagnosed with TBI and with evolution for neurosurgery. Exclusion criteria: TBI victims without evolution for neurosurgery and presence of neurological sequelae that was unfeasible to implement the data collection instrument. The instrument chosen was the World Health Organization Quality of Life - Bref (WHOQOL-Bref), composed of 26 questions (also called facets) which assess the individual’s bio psychosocial aspects. The statistic data were analyzed by using the R® version 3.3.3 software and the questions from the WHOQOL-Bref related to depressive symptoms were selected as described in the 5th edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Results: There was a predominance of male patients (80.2%), young adults (37.9%), from urban areas (92.2%), low schooling (36.2%) and low socioeconomic level (51.7%), traffic accidents victims (41.4). Most of the victims presented an above average quality of life (60.0%). The Psychological domain was below average (46.6%) and it was the most influenced domain in the quality of life, according to Pearson's correlation test (p-value = 0.743). The facets "Energy and Fatigue", "Self-Esteem", "Sleep and Rest," "Body Image and Appearance," "Work Capacity" and "Negative Feelings" are relate to some of the predictors signs of depression and were classified as "Needs Improvement".
Conclusion: The participants’ in this study showed a positive quality of life, but the neuropsychological consequences still reflect in their daily routine and should be constantly worked on to cope with the traumatic event.
Audience Take Away:
- This study allows the quality of life assessment to be stimulated in the clinical practice of nursing professionals;
- To identify the aspects that most influence the client’s quality of life, the nurse can enrich his/her systematization of assistance focusing on the patient’s real necessities;
- This study allows the nurse who attends TBI patients, to be aware of the possible predictors signs of subsequent depression due to trauma;
- This research emphasizes another field on nursing intervention, to be refined in the teaching-learning process or contributing to the scientific community.
